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Storming of the Palace

imc uk'ista | 17.10.2004 14:25 | European Social Forum

Saturday evening, around 250 to 300 grassroots activists made their own free entry to the official ESF and denounced the ESF organising process from the stage of the main plenary.

The intervention occurred during one of the main pleaneries, where Ken Livingstone was expected to speak. A decision to pull Livingstone out of presenting his speech on a panel had been taken only shorty before.

The activists took the stage and hung banners – 'Kens party, War Party' – 'ESF Another World is For Sale', to bring attention to the exclusive nature of the london esf, and to report the police intimidation of activists at autonomous centres this weekend.

speakers on the stage

During a later meeting of the Assembly of Social Movements Redmond O'Neil (of the GLA) condemned the intervention, saying that the activists, who had 'outed' the problems with democracy and communication in the ESF, and had attacked people and stolen phones! A table had gone over during the taking of the stage, but many on the stage assisted in looking for any lost items. After some initial confusion from delegates, many became vocal both denouncing the intervention but many more supporting the statements of Babales and others.

Delegates listened to around half an hour of statements from activists, often cheering the speakers whilst they exposed some of the problems within the ESF process [ Babels Statement ]. Afterwards, activists handed the plenary back over to the official speakers and left as one group chanting 'solidarity' with some delegates following.

Later those that left were exposed to police violence, with people pushed and punched, police with batons at the ready, and a small number of arrests were made. The activists continued back to the 'Beyond ESF space' occupying the road. The activists were followed all the way back by several police vans

See [ Timeline ]
Reports [ Livingstone AllyPally speech replaced by protest by grassroot activists | Storming the palace (report and pic) | Visual Report ]
Some [Analysis]

imc uk'ista

Comments

Display the following 40 comments

Proud — Whose interests are you serving?
SWP' s Liberal bleating — CLASS WAR
Biased as hell — Red Rob
Disapointed but not surprised — Disapointed
disapionted but not surprised — disapointed
What did you achieve — Joshua Fenton-Glynn
eye witness — qwerty
these cows are small, those are far away — type
fascist 1 anto-fascist 0 — red letter
we laughed and laughed and laughed — capitalist
Highlight of the ESF — steve
Scum of the Earth — Witness
ESF Volunteer — Rosa
The exception rather than the rule... — tso
OUTRAGE!!! PIRATES!!! — Dave
The necessity of being critical... — roublard
Disrespect creates disrespect — John
Saturday night's actions: an attack on the democracy of the ESF — Milena Buyum
In response to those who complain about the left ‘infighting’. — andanotherthing
a lot of work to do b4 athens — Rosa
@ ESF volunteer — involved
no illusions — jelena and ziggy
RE @ESF Volunteer — Rosa
Open for Discussion — twiddle
Disrupte the war not the esf — James
The struggle continues — CLASS WAR
RE: Open for discussion — Rosa
Pathetic Lies By Minority Anarchists' — Truth
As an eyewitness... — Joe
John Brown — John Brown
Re: as an eyewitness... — @
again please — 20 goto 10
A Black Mans Perspective — John Brown
Reply to SWP rubbish — CLASS WAR
Schnews on SWP stupidity — CLASS WAR
An off duty volunteer... — Janina
Evidence of the anti fascist and anti racist nature of the action — CLASS WAR
RE:An off duty volunteer... — Joshua Fenton-Glynn
it wasn't racist or fascist, just fucking pathetic — what happened to serious anarchism?
reply to the utopian into 'serious anarchism' — CLASS WAR

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Storming of the Palace

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